The mammoth rig is waiting for me to relinquish my drum gig and get back to basics or at least just the ENGL.
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I miss my SVT rigs....
- Thread starter henryjurstin13
- Start date
No there is the issue for me. I just never cared for the SVT. The HiWatt Dr201, however, is a thing of beauty.
After my heart issue last year, I literally can’t do SVT rigs anymore, but I would if I still could. On the other hand, I don’t hate only having a PF50T instead by any means!
You intend to put it in your music room and not move it? If you want it, have the room for it, and can afford it, buy it.
Heck, I won't even take my B100R to gigs anymore. I had to schlepp it to a video shoot recently and I actually took the speaker out to carry it
I used an SVT cab for gigs around LA for a couple years. Having a pickup and it’s wheels made it a fairly easy cab to maneuver through the bar and on to stage. There were gigs where it wasn’t necessary but overall godly piece of gear.
I still own the cab but it’s out there in an aquatences hands. I sure miss it.
Would love to get it back.
I still own the cab but it’s out there in an aquatences hands. I sure miss it.
Would love to get it back.
JeezyMcNuggles
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- Feb 23, 2018
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Nah, just grab a V-4B. It's really all you ever need.I've not had a regular gig in quite sometime... my old band gets together about 2-4 times a year for fun. I've got plenty of stuff I can gig with, and don't "need" an amp.... but, I find myself looking at SVT pics a lot lately. And it's really unfortunate that I keep coming across the picture below, which are both of my old stacks.... band hiatus + no job = SOLD for cash.
I really got tired of lugging this stuff around by myself, and opted for lighter/easier... now I'm (foolishly?) considering tracking down a stack to live in my music room - or maybe, even take to the occasional big stage gig.
I figured lots of us have been in this situation, feeling nostalgic & missing the great gear of our glory days. Buy? Keep daydreaming? Spray paint my markbass rig with Ampeg logos?
It's a VR, with a 100w power section, and 45lbs. Depending on your cab, it blows away anything.
Nothing like it. When you feel your organs thumping while you lock with the drummer, if you don’t know, you don’t know. Magic.
Still using one here, with a cut down 8x10 into a 4x10. Used a Nash Tele bass this night and what a tone
For the first 5 or so years (mid 80s) I had various Peavey 115 combos. In 1990 I got an SVT rig and I used it for about 2 years, but I sold it because even in my 20s it was overkill and too heavy to haul around. I would get one again, if it could stay in one place and I would never have move it. There is nothing like an SVT, but for me its not worth the trouble. I would get a V4B and a modern lightweight 215 long before I got another SVT.
Not the same, but much more versatile and easier to haul.
As mentioned earlier, a vintage V4 is lighter, but is still heavy and more awkward to carry with the top handle only and the 27” width. They do sound fantastic though. The SVT is 24” wide and has two side handles. It’s an easier move than the V4 even though it’s 20 lbs heavier. Plus the 300 watts vs 100, although the V4 can get really loud!
I still have yet to try a new V4B reissue. I know those are lighter. I have a 76 Bassman 100, so I probably will never get to try the RI. I will say one huge advantage with the V4 is the 2/4/8 ohm selector. I cant use a single 8 ohm cab with my SVT or Bassman.
I still have yet to try a new V4B reissue. I know those are lighter. I have a 76 Bassman 100, so I probably will never get to try the RI. I will say one huge advantage with the V4 is the 2/4/8 ohm selector. I cant use a single 8 ohm cab with my SVT or Bassman.
I never had an svt but I did have a big rig based on a rack system, big/heavy QSC MX-1500, and two eden 4x10’s (the original D410T, rear ported). It was huge and heavy and it looked and sounded AWESOME. Occasionally I still miss it, but I got comfortable going full IEM/ampless years ago and I like the five minute setup/teardown time. But, there was definitely something about that rig’s presence in the room, the imposing presence of old iron, the lights in the rack, the aroma of countless gigs’ worth cigarette smoke in the rat fur on the cabs, the floor sagging beneath its weight….if I had limitless money I might go get it for a room decoration.
I know exactly what you’re saying — same thing here, brother!Your reaction to the pics is clear- it stirs feelings. If you have it, and every time you walk into the room just seeing it give you a bit of joy, and distracts you from other life stresses, then it literally adds to the quality and longevity of your life. Like medicine.
My music room mancave is the happiest place in the world for me, and just sitting here with all my stuff (most of which I rarely actually use) is a joy for me.
Just my thoughts on the subject.
IMO, part of the sound in the SVT is that you have eight 10” speakers; the other part is that you have a really well designed amp.
Claiming that the sound is due to the weight and having power tubes is somewhat missing the point. SVT’s do sound great. But, I find zero lacking in the sound / tone department by having modular modern cabs with sufficient cone area and a well designed potent amplifier. Caveat: I never ran / run an SVT in “dirt” mode; so, I’m not talking here about power tube distortion.
My current modular version is two Mesa Subway SW112/SW115 stacks. No individual piece is more than 37 pounds; but, the sum of the parts has easily the same impact as that SVT 810. A well designed preamp and power amp completes the picture; and watts are cheap these days. If you have some kind of aversion to Class D; power amps in the Class G/H format, such as the QSC GX series are relatively lighter and no compromise in the slam department.
Don’t get me wrong; I too periodically entertain thoughts of older big rigs. I happened to like the Acoustic 360 a bunch. In some fantasy world, I would get a 1960’s Pontiac Station wagon, paint it black, put in a GMC big block 400 engine, and haul my Acoustic 360 to Biker bar gigs.
And, I do confess to periodically looking at the SVT II non-pros on Reverb from time to time.
But, then the caffeine kicks in, and I’m back to reality. And it’s a great reality.
PS: I should also mention that I do own and gig a Bergantino NV610. That cab used to fit in the trunk of my Honda Accord (when I owned that car), making it significantly better on the schlep than the 810. And, it is way close enough to the 810 to keep me happy. FWIW
Claiming that the sound is due to the weight and having power tubes is somewhat missing the point. SVT’s do sound great. But, I find zero lacking in the sound / tone department by having modular modern cabs with sufficient cone area and a well designed potent amplifier. Caveat: I never ran / run an SVT in “dirt” mode; so, I’m not talking here about power tube distortion.
My current modular version is two Mesa Subway SW112/SW115 stacks. No individual piece is more than 37 pounds; but, the sum of the parts has easily the same impact as that SVT 810. A well designed preamp and power amp completes the picture; and watts are cheap these days. If you have some kind of aversion to Class D; power amps in the Class G/H format, such as the QSC GX series are relatively lighter and no compromise in the slam department.
Don’t get me wrong; I too periodically entertain thoughts of older big rigs. I happened to like the Acoustic 360 a bunch. In some fantasy world, I would get a 1960’s Pontiac Station wagon, paint it black, put in a GMC big block 400 engine, and haul my Acoustic 360 to Biker bar gigs.
And, I do confess to periodically looking at the SVT II non-pros on Reverb from time to time.
But, then the caffeine kicks in, and I’m back to reality. And it’s a great reality.
PS: I should also mention that I do own and gig a Bergantino NV610. That cab used to fit in the trunk of my Honda Accord (when I owned that car), making it significantly better on the schlep than the 810. And, it is way close enough to the 810 to keep me happy. FWIW
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First, let me say I'm all for painting over the Markbass logo, that yellow is obnoxious. 
I've never owned or even played thru a big SVT rig, but I've always wanted to. As for owning one, they're definitely heavier than any of the heavy rigs I've owned. I wouldn't want to move one around, especially since all my stuff lives in the basement, down lots of stairs.
I've never owned or even played thru a big SVT rig, but I've always wanted to. As for owning one, they're definitely heavier than any of the heavy rigs I've owned. I wouldn't want to move one around, especially since all my stuff lives in the basement, down lots of stairs.
I loved my fridge....until I had to haul it up 2 flights of stairs for a very well-paying gig. I sold it a month later and am now playing thru Genz Benz 6.0 combos! The same sound? No ....but a great sound in a smaller (and much lighter) rig!!
